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New Order revisits its youthful themes in 'Sirens' Call' First posted 11:08pm (Mla time) June 03, 2005 By Noelani Torre Inquirer News Service
THERE'S nothing on the cover of New Order's newest album but a big, orange NO. They don't need anything else to identify them: After more than two decades of ground- and rule-breaking music, the only people who don't know what New Order stands for are those who live under rocks.
Formerly known as the remains of Joy Division after the suicide of vocalist Ian Curtis, New Order went on to chart a new course for itself, one that made waves all throughout the '80s and beyond. Without them, there would be no Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, the Killers, Interpol, and countless other bands they've influenced.
Comeback
There's nothing left for them to prove, which is why "Waiting for the Sirens' Call" comes as a surprise--especially since it comes so soon after "Get Ready," their 2001 comeback. But then, New Order has never been known for its predictability. After all, this is the band that introduced a disco-weary generation to the idiosyncratic appeal of melancholic electronica, and proved itself adept at riding the ever-changing currents of pop music.
New Order has never been afraid of experimentation. In fact, they're well-known for producing bizarre tracks that eventually become the next in-thing. But, this is the one thing they hardly ever do in "Sirens' Call."
If they tried to sound rockier in "Get Ready," here they revisit the themes of their youth, and of their synth-pop/electronic/dance floor heyday. This is New Order circa mid-'80s, and though we expect more innovation, they could do much worse than sound like themselves at their best.
Unexciting introduction
The album kicks off with "Who's Joe?" -- though "kicks off" may not be the best way to describe it. The song isn't one of their better ones, and it makes for a rather unexciting introduction. They start hitting their stride in the second track, "Hey Now What You Doing," but it's in the title track that they finally clinch it.
Vocalist Bernard Stumner still sounds like somebody half his age--and a spaced-out somebody, at that. Peter Hook's bass still kicks ass, and drummer Stephen Morris is very much in the groove.
Replacing the now-retired keyboardist Gillian Gilbert is guitarist Phil Cunningham. Plus, all the over-produced atmospherics we know and love are present and accounted for.
25 years
In their eighth studio album in 25 years, New Order shows us that even though they're already pushing 50, they can still sound as sprightly and cutting-edge as artists decades younger. They seem determined to keep playing until they drop, and we hope they do-keep playing, that is.
Anybody who can make a cringe-inducing lyric like "Out there, the world is a beautiful place/ with mountains, lakes and the human race" sound like the coolest thing ever uttered is worth listening to!
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